Jun. 14, 2012

A barge near the Tappan Zee Bridge was placed in March to drive pilings into the bedrock of the Hudson River. The pilings help determine the stability of the river bed, part of the preliminary work for building a new bridge. / Seth Harrison/The Journal News

Written by

A Journal News editorial

Tappan Zee Bridge commuters aren’t the only ones anxious to find out how much tolls will jump to pay for a new crossing. Standard & Poor’s on Tuesday assigned a “negative outlook” to the New York State Thruway Authority, but said an upgrade could come if the authority were to adopt an “aggressive tolling regime.”

It seems the credit-rating agency wants to know the same thing local drivers do — how much will tolls increase, and when, as the authority plans to build a new $5.2 billion Westchester-Rockland crossing. (S&P and drivers, though, are likely rooting for two different outcomes.)

While the governor has been out front in advocating for a new crossing, the administration has been mum about how it plans to pay for the project.

Despite the “negative” outlook, the S&P report was welcomed by Howard P. Milstein, the Thruway Authority’s chairman who focused on the preservation of the agency’s “A-plus” rating, a little better than third-highest. He said, “... Our recent actions have set the Thruway on a sound fiscal foundation for the future for the first time in two decades and confirm that we are ready, willing and able to make the major investments needed in the future.”

Fiscal action

That recent action mentioned by Milstein includes a move by the Thruway Authority last month to hike truck tolls as part of an authoritywide overhaul. Amid speculation of an impending credit downgrade, the Thruway Authority announced that it would increase tolls for trucks with three axles or more by some 45 percent.

The planned truck toll increase — which still needs approval by the authority’s board — was just one of many actions the authority said it would take to straighten out its muddled finances.

(Page 2 of 3)

A report by consultant Navigant painted a picture of an agency that had long made poor — and costly — management and financial decisions.

The report outlined cost-cutting measures, including streamlining operations in a bloated system, restructuring debt and seeking concessions from workers — similar to the deal Gov. Andrew Cuomo wrested out of the state’s two biggest unions last year.

The truck toll increase has been derided by upstate officials, who say it will damage commerce in areas where the Thruway is the only option for travel. (The Thruway’s lock on car and truck traffic for much of its 500-plus-mile route was cited by S&P as an indication of financial strength.)

State officials have pointed out that even with a 45 percent toll hike, truck travel is still cheaper in New York than in neighboring states. The Navigant report documented the wear and tear on roadways caused by trucks — thousands of cars’ worth — in justifying the truck toll jump.

The report also pointed out that the car fee for traveling from Buffalo to New York City was about $20, and called the Tappan Zee a “bargain” when compared to tolls paid at The George Washington, Throgs Neck and Whitestone bridges.

Bridge so far

The Tappan Zee project has progressed at breakneck speed. In October, Cuomo announced that the project had been streamlined from a decades-long plan to rebuild the 30-mile Interstate 287 corridor and introduce east-west mass transit to just building a new bridge that would be designed to support transit but wouldn’t be constructed with any. The project was fast-tracked by the Obama administration.

Preliminary work has begun on site, a builder could be announced by summer’s end and work on the span could start by year’s end. The project has a 2017 completion date.

But it’s hardly been smooth sailing, especially for the project’s finances. The state failed to secure $2 billion in federal loans in May, stuck with too big a price tag as Congress dithers on finally passing a transportation bill.

(Page 3 of 3)

Union workers have rallied for the bridge to be built now, often as a counterbalance to those who demand that transit be included in the plans. But last week, Rockland and Westchester construction trade unions overwhelmingly rejected a proposed project labor agreement, saying the state was doing little to give local workers priority.

Other challenges abound. Mass transit advocates are demanding inclusion of a bus rapid transit system from Day 1. Environmentalists are questioning the impact of the plan on the Hudson River. Some want the old Tappan Zee to remain as a park. Residents in Tarrytown and South Nyack have expressed outrage at the noise already generated by pre-construction boring into the Hudson. Some South Nyack residents were angered that the state planned to take their homes through eminent domain; others were furious when the state said the homes could stay.

Two agencies challenging the Tappan Zee plan — Riverkeeper and Tri-State Transportation Campaign — are still waiting for documents requested in February under Freedom of Information laws. The state has said the sheer volume of documents has delayed their release. Tri-State is among the organizations decrying the lack of mass transit in the plan.

Much remains unresolved, including where the billions in financing for the project will come from.